Doomed Confessionary: Mark Earnest (Kanawha)
Let’s start this gloomy Monday with an interview with alternative/grunge/doom/noise-rock band Kanawha from Reno, Nevada (USA). The four-piece consists of Mark Earnest (vocals), Anthony Collyer-Ashworth (guitars), Alex Alcantar (bass) and Julian Iosty (drums and backing vocals).
Kanawha’s second full-length album »Broken Branches« was released on September 15th, 2023 through ToneMark Sounds.
Can you say a few words about your band?
Kanawha has been around for 7 years, is based in Reno Nevada in the Western US, and play a four-way mix of doom metal, riffy ’70s rock, grungy ’90s influenced stuff and modern sludge/noise rock.
What was the biggest challenge for the band this year?
For us, it was just getting our new album, »Broken Branches«, out there for people, with the wait times for vinyl pressings and the time it took to approve our own mixes. We wanted it to be just right but we ultimately agreed on the end result (and Tony, our guitarist, did an amazing job of it).
What can you be most proud of this year?
It’s definitely the album itself. We feel it really captures us at our best and the evolution of what we’ve been through. Having Tony, our newer bassist Alex, and drummer extraordinaire Julian as this incarnation of the band feels like “the one.”
What was your biggest regret?
For me, it’s that we didn’t get to go on a trek outside of Reno, but that’ll change next year.
What was the best concert/tour this year and why?
In October, we played at an event called Loud at the Lair, which takes place in nearby Blairsden, California. I’ve sent you a picture of it (by Reno photographer Juan Two Three)!
It’s amazing to be involved in – you play a set with four other bands, all of varied styles, out in the middle of the northern California woods, with great sound and a broad and receptive audience. It was transcendental for me actually – it felt like playing on a larger and much more intense version of planet earth.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
For me, it was the continued evolution of what this style of metal represents. Bands are progressing all the time and adding new textures and flavors to what they write and perform, and it’s a total inspiration.
Where can we see you live next year (concerts/tours)?
Besides Reno and the surrounding area, we will be going to California and other Western states like Washington and Oregon. We’d love to get on some festival-type shows, too, and will work toward that.
Photo by Juan Two Three
What are your plans for the next year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
We want to write and record at least an EP, so we don’t take so long between releases. We also want to try and record outside of our studio in Reno and get a new experience that way. What I want the most is just for more people inside and outside of Reno (and the US!) to hear us and continue to follow our little twists and turns as we try to figure out what we are doing.
Do you already know what are you doing on New Year’s Eve?
I personally hate New Year’s Eve. It’s amateur night. Although a bandmate from another band I’m in (Manchild) may be planning a private party that my wife and I will probably go to.
How can people best support your band?
Go to our Bandcamp and buy music, shirts, etc. You also can follow us on two social media sites.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Just a simple and heartfelt “thanks” for taking a chance on us, and for letting us do our thing in such a great music community. Fans of this style of metal are something else – truly communal and risk-taking in their musical love. It’s beautiful to see.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well